Press Releases
A 24-year-old San Angelo man who was contemplating suicide on Thanksgiving is alive, thanks to two San Angelo Police Department Officers who were in the right place at the right time.
Just before 7:00 p.m., San Angelo Public Safety Communications received multiple phone calls concerning a man who appeared to be on the verge of jumping off the bridge at Van Buren and Freeland.
Officers arrived within minutes and located the distraught man sitting outside of the railing.
Officers established rapport with the man and learned he was suicidal. During the encounter, the officers seized an opportunity to pull the man from the railing when he became distracted by answering his phone. The man was taken into custody by Tom Green County Mental Health Deputies.
The San Angelo Police Department believes Officers Edward Salmon and Steven Martinez were near the incident at the right time and hope the man receives the help that he needs and deserves.
If you are thinking about suicide, are worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, please reach out for help. Call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255 (English) or 1-888-628-9454 (Spanish). Calls are confidential and free. Talking with someone about your thoughts and feelings can save your life.
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Two men accused of stabbing a 37-year-old San Angelo man during a weekend altercation at a local bar have been arrested. Police were alerted to the incident by Shannon Medical Center staff who called to report the victim’s injuries.
The accused, 45-year-old Jose Hurtado and 31-year-old Arturo Sanchez-Melendez, have been charged with Aggravated Assault with Deadly Weapon Causes Serious Bodily Injury. The pair was apprehended at Narro’s Bar and Cantina, 1324 North Bell Street.
A preliminary investigation revealed Hurtado and Sanchez-Melendez assaulted the victim during an altercation in the parking lot just before 1:45 a.m. on Sunday, November 24, 2019. Both men were booked into the Tom Green County Jail. Bonds were set at $25K.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials requested that Sanchez-Melendez be placed on ‘ICE Hold’ due to his unconfirmed identity and status.
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On Monday, December 2, 2019, the San Angelo Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division is inviting victims of burglary to Police Headquarters, 401 E. Beauregard, in an attempt to identify stolen property that has been recovered during recent burglary investigations.
Victims must bring at least one form of identification along with a Police Incident Report that that has been filed prior to November 18, 2019. This one-time event will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Please direct inquiries to Detective Welch at (325) 657-4308.
If you believe you are a victim of burglary (storage unit, vehicle, etc.), please file a report with the San Angelo Police Department as soon as possible online at http://www.sanangelopolice.org/coplogic or call dispatch non-emergency (325) 657-4315 to have an officer respond. Do not make an online report for burglaries or thefts involving firearms, crime in progress, if the suspect is at the scene, or if the crime occurred outside the city limits. Please provide a detailed inventory of what property was stolen.
If you rent or own storage units in San Angelo, investigators urge you to regularly check your unit(s) and promptly file a police report if you believe you have been burglarized.
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On Tuesday, November 19, 2019, the San Angelo Police Department’s Traffic Section conducted LIDAR Traffic Enforcement in ten (10) school zones. A total of twenty-four (24) citations and ten (10) warnings were issued.
Following the school zone enforcement, LIDAR was conducted in the 4300 block of West Houston Harte’s westbound traffic. A total of sixty-two (62) citations and fourteen (14) warnings were issued.
Citation Breakdown:
School Zones
Other/Misc. Violations: 7
No Insurance: 1
No Seat belt: 1
Speeding: 15
Warnings: 10
Houston Harte
Speeding: 47 (Highest speed: 91 mph.)
Driving While License Invalid: 2
Other/Misc. Violations: 9
No Driver’s License: 2
No Insurance: 2
Warnings: 14
The life of a child is priceless and not worth the risk by speeding through a school zone. Children are more vulnerable than adults to being hit by a car — they tend to be less cautious than adults, are less visible due to their size, and they are less likely to survive a hit by a vehicle.
When approaching a school zone, slow down. The few seconds you may save speeding through a school zone is not worth the fine, but more importantly, it’s not worth the life of a child.
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November 16, 2019 — Just before 1:30 a.m., San Angelo Police were dispatched to West Beauregard and South Park for the report of a single-vehicle rollover crash where the driver fled the vehicle after colliding with Peasant Village Restaurant.
A witness relayed information that the vehicle’s driver was running eastbound from the crash. Responding officers located the driver, identified as 39-year-old Oscar M. Bernal, at Santa Fe Park.
Officers located the vehicle’s only passenger lying next to restaurant. The man had been ejected from the vehicle and he was unconscious and not breathing. San Angelo Police and Fire Department personnel performed rescue measures at the scene but the man, later identified as O. Bernal’s brother, 28-year-old Christian Bernal, succumbed to his injuries.
A preliminary crash investigation showed that O. Bernal was operating a Dodge Charger westbound on west Beauregard when he lost control of the vehicle and left the roadway. After leaving the roadway, the vehicle hit a sign and began to roll until it came to rest after colliding with the restaurant. Alcohol was a contributing factor to the crash.
Bernal was initially treated for non-incapacitating injuries at Shannon Medical Center and was later booked into the Tom Green County Jail charged with Intoxication Manslaughter with Vehicle.
The investigation is ongoing.
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